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Nahani

Nahani (also Nahanni, Nahane) is an Athapaskan word that has been used to designate Aboriginal groups in BC, the NWT and the YT. Nahani is an inaccurate and inappropriate name for any specific group or for any cultural-linguistic grouping.

Nahani (also Nahanni, Nahane) is an Athapaskan word that has been used to designate Aboriginal groups in BC, the NWT and the YT. Nahani is an inaccurate and inappropriate name for any specific group or for any cultural-linguistic grouping. European fur traders and explorers began to use the collective term Nahani in the early part of the 19th century, often in reference to an Aboriginal group that was not in direct contact with them and only vaguely known from Aboriginal reports.

In the 20th century the term was gradually replaced by more accurate designations, although the Canadian government still used Nahani in the 1970s for the languages of three Yukon groups in the Whitehorse, Ross River and Liard River areas. These peoples have been identified as Southern Tutchone and Kaska speakers.